Grainne Owen lost her son, Killian, to leukemia at the age of nine.  There was a drug that may have helped save his life, but it proved to be inaccessible due to its price.  “The thought that it was just a matter of money, the reason why we lost him, was just too much for me”, says Owen.  So she decided to begin raising money for pediatric cancer research in an effort to prevent others from experiencing similar tragedy.  In 2005, Curing Kids Cancer was formed, and has since raised over $6 million for pediatric cancer research.  “The idea behind how we first started to raise money was based on youth sports teams – at the end of the season, we always collected money for a coach’s gift”.  Curing Kids Cancer simply asks people to donate the money for their coach’s gift to their foundation in exchange for a gift they would have given anyway, such as a T-shirt, a hat, or a whistle.  Everyone wins – the coach gets a gift, the team members contribute to a cause, and the foundation funds pediatric cancer research.